5. Louis CK on Tour

“I don’t think we appreciate what a big deal it is that we got out of the food chain,” says Louis CK in his new comedy concert. Imagine if humans had to worry about predators, he notes wearily — “it would just be another thing that you deal with.” In the concert (now on a nationwide tour; I caught it at New York City Center) Louie’s hangdog dyspepsia is leavened by a healthy sense of perspective and even something approaching optimism. As a stand-up performer, he is relatively subdued onstage, with little improvisation or interaction with the crowd. But his show is as carefully crafted and deeply felt as the best work of theater.